


Be the one

by IslandsUnderEyelids



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Eventual Smut, Falling In Love, First Kiss, First Time, Fluff, Knotting, Light Angst, M/M, Mating Bond, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2018-04-14
Packaged: 2019-03-10 11:00:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13500470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IslandsUnderEyelids/pseuds/IslandsUnderEyelids
Summary: In the year 2008, omegas ceased to be born.Ten years later, they are no closer to finding out the cause or a cure.





	1. Chapter 1

No one knows why or how it happened. Starting around the year two thousand and eight, the birth of omegas, ceased.

Everyone is tested when they are born by a simple and quick blood test. Omegas are a little bit more rare than alphas and betas, so no one thought much when the births started to taper down around a year prior. It was so slow that no one really caught on. Even when they stopped completely, it was at least a week before people started taking notice. When it hit a month, there was no more denying that something was very wrong. 

There was a sudden mad scramble to find the out what happened and most importantly, how to fix it. With omegas being the only ones able to carry life, it was a critical situation.

That was ten years ago.

Most of the world's population of omegas, who weren't bonded, were taken by their own government to be studied and bred. Kept in what they called _omega sanctuaries_ , saying it was for the best, that they were protecting omegas. Trying to find a cure.

That hasn't had much success.

The morality of these sanctuaries are sometimes questionable at best. Some even sold omegas to the rich and who had what they called the preferred gene pool. They reasoned it by saying that no omegas are placed until right before their eighteenth birthday.

Like it excused the transgression. 

But, the families wanted another heir and the truth of the matter is that the money that comes from those transactions are needed as well to fund everything. The government could only give so much. They believed they were doing the right thing. 

Anything for a cure .

Some families escaped and went underground, living in safe zones. It was the only way to stay undetected without the help of suppressants and scent blockers. Both of which were promptly banned and made illegal to possess. Banning suppressants was the first course of action against whatever was happening. They were widely abused and the long term effects are pretty much unknown. The scent blockers were just an excuse to be able to find rogue omegas a lot easier. 

Tyler's family was one who went into hiding when he was just eight years old. One night when he was twelve, the omega safe zone his family was staying in, like so many others, was raided.

He didn't even get to say goodbye.

Tyler's now seventeen and has been living at one of the sanctuaries for almost six years. It wasn't the same as being with his family but he's managed to become acclimated to the environment over time. He even has a friend, his roommate, Sydney. She is a few years younger and unlike him, she has spent the entire ten years there. She doesn't even remember her family; he feels lucky that he at least does.

They are in their room, after lunch, when there is a knock on the door and one of the caretakers walks in. "Hey, Tyler, Mrs. Russell would like to speak with you in her office."

Tyler looks at Sydney, who just shrugs. It isn't often anyone was called to see the director of the facility, so he is nervous as he stands up and follows the caretaker out of the room. After a few minutes he's following her into a large office. "Please have a seat. Mrs. Russell will be in shortly."

He sits in one of the chairs as the door closes behind him. His fingers fidget in his lap while he looks around. A minute later the door opens and the director walks in, heels clicking on the floor as she walks to her desk and sits down. She opens the folder on his desk and looks up at him. "Mr. Joseph, I have some great news for you."

Tyler stops bouncing his leg and looks at her, confused.

The woman smiles at him. "It appears that a wonderful sponser of the facility, has decided that they would like you to marry their oldest son." 

Confused instantly turns into shock. "I'm sorry, what?" He manages to choke out.

The director flips a page in the folder, _his folder he's assuming_. "The Duns. Their oldest, Josh, just turned twenty one." She closes the folder and clasps her hands on top of it. The tone in her voice shifting. "I know how you must be feeling but the Duns are an incredibly respected family. They have prime genes and are really well off; you will never want for anything. Any omega here would jump at this chance. You turn eighteen in a month and you know what that means.."

"My first heat," he answers coldly. There are a lot of rumors about what happens to the omegas at the sanctuary and where they go once they have their first heat. None of them ever return, so the rumors aren't very good ones, to say the least.

He can only sit there, frozen, looking at her, unable to make his mouth form anymore words until Mrs. Russell is speaking again. "You leave in a hour. You may go back to your room now to pack and say your goodbyes."

"A hour?" He stands up and backs away from the chair. "What do you mean I'm leaving in a hour?"

She picks up the phone on her desk and presses a button. "Can you please send someone in to escort Tyler back to his room." She looks at him as the door opens. "I wish you the best of luck."

Feeling defeated and a little empty, he leaves out and heads back to his room.

Sydney leaps from her bed when he walks back in. "So what happened?"

He recoils a little at the excitement in her voice. "I, um." He sits on the edge of his bed. "I was placed." He bites his bottom lip and looks up at her, choking back tears. "I leave in a hour."

Tyler expects her to start crying but her actual response is not quite that as she dives on to his bed, throwing her arms around him. "Oh my god!" She takes both sides of his face in her hands and smiles at him. "This is amazing news!"

"How do you figure?" He asks through squeezed cheeks.

Sydney laughs and lets go of his face. "Sorry." She positions herself in front of him, kneeling on the floor and taking his hands into hers. "Listen, I know you're scared. I would be too. This place is all most of us have ever known. But you have the chance at a normal life here. To get married and bonding with an actual alpha." Tyler shakes his head as she continues. "You get to see what's on the other side of these walls other than what we see on tv and movies; you're so lucky."

He knows deep down that she is right. They've had this conversation before. It's mostly what the omegas there talk and daydream about; life outside of the walls. Even if that means potentially mating with someone you didn't necessarily want to mate with. Tyler looks down at his friend's excited face and decides to put on a strong one for her. "Okay." He gives her a weak smile, squeezing her hands before he goes to stand up. "I need to pack."

They finish packing what little possessions he does have into a small red suitcase just as there is a knock on the door before it's opening again. What's behind the door, is definitely not what Tyler is expecting. It's two tall and burly men in black suits. Security. 

Sydney pulls him in for a tight hug, burying her face in his neck. He can feel the warm tears against his skin. "I'm going to miss you so much. You're gonna be so happy though."

They let go as one of the guards clears their throat.

Tyler turns around to look at her one last time, as he is led down the hallway and outside to a large black car waiting for them. The sound of the car door behind him, as he crawls in, feels like a jail cell closing shut. He steals one last glance through the heavily tinted window, as the car pulls away and through the iron gates.

He finally lets go of the tears he's been holding in.

••

A hour later, the car pulls up to an airfield. Tyler holds his suitcase tighter in his lap as it stops in front of a private jet. The back door opens. "This way, Mr. Joseph."

His feet slip out of the door with hesitation and meet concrete. Hands clutch the suitcase handle even tighter as he follows the guards to the stairs of the jet. They both stop at the bottom of the stairs and gesture for him to go first. He can feel his legs wobbling and heart hammering, not knowing what to expect when he gets inside.

A breath of relief escapes his lungs as he steps inside and sees no one except two flight attendants waiting for him. One of them steps forward. "May I take your bag for you, Mr. Joseph?"

Tyler just nods his head and hands it to her. The other flight attendant waves an arm in front of them. "You can come right this way and sit anywhere you'd like."

He sits at one of the first seats he comes across, hands running over smooth tan leather, eyes darting everywhere. Mrs. Russell wasn't kidding when she said the family was rich.

The first flight attendant walks back over to him. "Can you please go ahead and put on your seatbelt. We'll be taking off soon."

Tyler stops her before she walks away. "Sorry, um where exactly are we going?"

"Columbus, Ohio," she says with a smile.

He feels heavy as he sinks back into the seat and buckles the seatbelt. That's where his family is from. They left ten years ago though and haven't been back. He doesn't even remember it but the prospect makes him nervous for some reason. Twenty minutes later, they are up in the air and he's on his way to his new life.

Whether he likes it or not.

••

It's already dark when Tyler steps off of the plane two hours later and follows the driver there waiting for him, to another car. This time he nearly jumps out of his skin when he slides into the backseat and someone is sitting next to him. The door closes and Tyler just stares at the guy with wide eyes. The guy holds his hand out. "Hi, I'm Mr. Dun's assistant, Mark. I'm sorry for startling you."

Tyler cautiously extends his hand out to shake Mark's.

Mark turns on an interior light and pulls a briefcase on to his lap. "Did you have a nice flight?"

Tyler nods. "It was fine."

The buckles snap on the briefcase and it opens. "I'm glad to hear that," Mark says as he pulls a few papers and a pen out of it. "Okay, if you could just go ahead and read over these and sign them, I would appreciate it."

Tyler grabs the papers, setting them on top of the suitcase in his lap. He takes the pen next and looks down at the first paper; it's a marriage license.

"Sorry for springing this on you right off of the plane. I need to get these to the attorney so he can take care of them first thing in the morning."

A hard lump sits in his throat as his eyes scan over the words on the paper. It doesn't even feel real and Tyler's hand trembles slightly as he signs his name, his life away. The next two papers he signs are a prenuptial and confidentiality agreement. He swallows the lump down as he hands everything back to Mark.

Mark takes the papers, looking them over. "Great." He puts the back into the briefcase and snaps it shut. "You must be exhausted from trip. We should be arriving in around forty five minutes."

Tyler doesn't answer. He just shifts in the seat, turning his body towards the window, resting his head against it.

••

Tyler startles as he is being shaken awake. "We're here," Mark says before opening his door.

Tyler grabs his suitcase from the side of him as his own door opens. He momentarily forgets to breathe when he turns around and sees the house behind him. He's only seen places like this on a screen before. He doesn't have that much time to gawk as Mark summons him to follow. If his jaw wasn't on the floor before, it is now the minute they step inside. "Holy shit., Tyler whispers to himself.

Mark looks at him expectantly. "This way, I'll show you to your room."

His eyes take in everything. As beautiful as it is, there's a cold and sterile feel to it. Although the sanctuary felt lifeless itself, there is a stark difference between them.   He's almost too scared to breathe too hard on anything, much less touch it as they make their way to the large staircase. When they get to the top, Mark leads him to a room and opens the door. "You can go ahead and take a shower and get changed before dinner."

With that, Mark closes the door and Tyler's left in the room. His suitcase hits the floor with a thud and his eyes go wide. He's sure he's in the wrong room. It's three times the size of the room he and Sydney shared for so many years. He quickly runs back to the door and opens it. "Are you sure this is.." he tries to say, but Mark is already gone.

He shrugs to himself and walks over to the bed, sitting down on it. Tyler gives it a few light experimental bounces before he lets himself fall back on to it. His lips stretch into a slight smile as he sinks into the soft bedding. His eyes only briefly close before they are shooting back open to a light knock on the door and voice coming from the other side. "I brought you some towels."

He stands up from the bed and slowly walks to the door, opening it and moving out of the way to let the person in. It is a girl that looks around his age, her blonde hair in a loose bun. "Hi, I'm Jenna," she says walking past him in to the bathroom. He watches her set the towels down on to the counter and walk back out. "Mr. Dun has already retired to his room for the night but after your shower I'll bring you to the kitchen for dinner. I'll be back in twenty minutes?" He nods his head and she smiles before closing the door. "See you then."

After his shower, he gets dressed and opens the bedroom door. He turns his head in the direction that he hears whispered voices. He sees Jenna at the end of the hallway, standing in front of large white double doors. She appears to be talking to someone, aggressively, through a crack in one of the them.

Tyler accidentally brushes against his door, making it squeak a little and Jenna turns to look at him as the white door closes hard. "Tyler," she says approaching him, strained smile on her face. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah." He looks to his left at the doors again. Tyler quietly trails behind Jenna to the kitchen.

"Go ahead and sit at the island." Jenna turns on the light and walks to the refrigerator. "The chef was already dismissed for the night so is a sandwich fine?"

Tyler sits down. "A sandwich is great, thanks."

He watches her get everything out and set it on to the counter. "You don't talk much do you?"

"It's just been a long day I guess." He twists a little in the chair while still watching her. "Was that Josh you were talking to in the hallway?" Tyler notices her stiffen for a second. "It's just he sounded angry and I'm sorry if I did anything.."

She seems to hesitate before answering. "Yes, that was Mr. Dun. He's not angry with you." She looks up at him. "I'll be honest, it wasn't exactly his idea for you to be here. It's nothing personal or anything, he just feels weird about it."

"So, I don't understand why I'm here then?"

She starts placing the slices of ham on to the bread. "His parents; not really the kind of people you can say no to." Her eyes look over the room. "Not when they've given you all of this."

He finds it hard to feel bad for the guy as he looks around the kitchen too but he can relate to not wanting to be with someone if it's not your own choice.

"Josh is great though. He's the best alpha and one of the most amazing people I know." She slides the plate over to him. "Just give him a little time to come around too."

Tyler picks up the sandwich and takes a bite.

Jenna starts picking everything back up. "How about in the morning after breakfast, I give you a tour of the house and the grounds outside?"

Tyler nods as he chews.

The refrigerator door shuts and she walks toward him. "I'm going to go ahead and go to bed myself. Just put your plate in the sink after you're finished and turn off the light. If you need anything, press line two on the intercom in your room and I'll answer." She pats his shoulder as she passes him. "Goodnight, Tyler."

It's far too quiet as he finishes eating. He can't even remember the last time he's been completely alone.

He heads back upstairs. Tyler looks down the hallway when he gets to the top. He doesn't know why, but he finds himself tiptoeing to Josh's room. When he gets closer he sees the light from the television flickering under the door. A smell suddenly hits his nose and it draws him even closer than he was planning on going. It smells like cinnamon, maybe a little spice. Before he can stop himself, his face is pressed against the door and he's breathing in, hard. He's never smelled an alpha other than his father before. Not one he could remember, anyway. Everyone at the sanctuary is either an omega or beta. The omegas all smell like him and the betas, like nothing really.

It's almost intoxicating.

He hears the bed shift inside the room and snaps out of the trance, quickly backing away from the door and walking fast but quietly to his room. He makes it there and shuts the door just as he hears the one down the hall open. Tyler lets out a breath he didn't realize he was holding in.

He doesn't even bother changing before he walks to the bed and climbs in, the exhaustion from the day hitting him all at once. As his eyes close, with the smell of cinnamon still in his nose, he's not sure if he hopes that this has just been one long and weird dream or not.


	2. Chapter 2

Tyler isn't asleep when a knock makes him jump a little as he is laying in bed. He has been awake for a little while now; the sunlight from the large window waking him up the minute the rays spread across the pale yellow walls. He and Sydney's room didn't even have a window, so his eyes were definitely not used to the intrusion of bright light so early in the morning.

Another knock and Tyler sits up, groggily throwing the blanket off of himself before standing. He unlocks the door and opens it. "Good morning, Tyler." Jenna smiles at him, sweetly. "Did you sleep well?"

Tyler nods, sleepily. "Yes, I slept fine, thank you."

Jenna gestures to inside of the room. "Do you mind if I come in?"

"Oh." Tyler moves aside and let's her in.

He watches her walk over to double doors on the other side of the room and open them. She smiles and waves him over. "We got your clothing and shoe sizes from the sanctuary. Wasn't quite sure what you liked, exactly, but you're not allowed off grounds unless you're bonded." She looks at him sympathetically, as he walks inside of the large closet. "It was in the contract with the facility."

Tyler doesn't speak as his train of thought is directed to the rows and rows of clothes. "These are all mine?" He asks in disbelief. Everyone wears a uniform at the sanctuary, so he's not even had his own clothes in many years.

"Yes, Tyler it is all yours." Jenna stands next to him, smiling. "Go ahead, you can look through everything and get changed. If nothing ends up fitting right or you don't like any of it, we can have a tailor come here and.."

"No, everything is great, thank you." He smiles, letting his fingers brush across color coded shirts that are hung up.

He feels Jenna pass behind him. "I'll let you get dressed and I'll meet you downstairs for breakfast, okay?"

Tyler nods, feeling slightly overwhelmed by the almost dizzying array of choices as he takes a quick glance at his faded blue uniform he has on. He finds himself sitting on the large ottoman in the middle of the closet, trying to give himself a minute to breathe.

Too much has happened in the past twenty four hours to completely process everything, especially still half asleep.

Fifteen minutes later, he is looking himself over in the mirror, pulling at the black hoodie that he had picked out last. Tyler would be lying if he said that he fully recognizes the person in the reflection looking back at him. Just like every other omega in the sanctuaries, he didn't have an identity, he was simply another baby maker, another lab rat. His secondary gender being the only thing worth knowing about him.

He doesn't even know who Tyler Joseph really is.

Tyler runs his fingers through his hair, fluffing it a little before turning off the light in the closet and leaving out. With some trepidation, he opens the bedroom door and steps out into the hallway. Saying he feels out of place, would be understating it as he walks to the staircase, stepping down, not sure what to expect at the bottom.

He takes a deep breath before he rounds the corner to the dining room, heartbeat getting faster as his nose picks up light notes of the same scent from last night.

Josh.

He's not sure if he is more relieved or disappointed when his eyes only meet Jenna, who is sitting at the table, waiting on him. She looks up from her phone and ushers for him to sit down next to her. At this point, he feels like livestock being herded around the house but he appreciates it none the less.

It's what he is used to anyway.

She gives him a once over as he sits in the dark wooden chair. "I'm glad you were able to find something you like." As if she can read his mind when he only briefly glaces at her and then looks around again. "You just missed him," she says, tone flat but eyes filled with amusement. "Josh just left for his morning run."

Tyler sputters. "Oh, I, I'm not.."

Jenna chuckles and rubs his arm, soothingly. "It's fine, Tyler. I know you must smell him. He just finished a rut and is still stinking up the entire house." She wrinkles her nose. "Sorry."

Before he can answer, someone is placing a plate in front of each of them. Jenna looks at the lady, smiling. "Thank you, Lucy. It looks delicious."

Tyler looks up as well. "Thank you," he says, softly.

••

After they finish eating, Tyler is following Jenna through the first floor of the house. She just finished showing him the theater room and the game room that's adjacent to it. He's still reeling from just that as they walk into another room, smelling a little of salt water. "Indoor pool. It's too cold to use the one outside but this one is not, obviously, so feel free to use it anytime."

Tyler nods, looking around. He doesn't even know how to swim, so he doubts he'll be in there much. Jenna leads him to a glass door that goes outside. "Okay," she says pointing to the left. "Tennis court right there." She points to the right. "Basketball court on the other side." She motions for him to follow her down the walkway, past the basketball court. "This just wraps around to the back of the house where the other pool and outdoor living area is; you can get there from the kitchen as well."

They take a brief detour to a fish pond, surrounded by the most beautiful flowers Tyler has ever seen. He bends over to smell a few as Jenna starts talking. "There are usually a lot more flowers but these are the only ones that make it through the winter." He looks over as she picks a book up off of the bench next to the pond and sighs. "I told him not to leave these.." she mutters.

Something, just then, catches his eye when he glances past her and back at the house. He can just make out a brown haired figure in one of the second story windows, looking down at him. His feet feel frozen to the ground, the gaze holding him there, until Jenna's audible shivering snaps him out of the trance. "The wind has really picked up."

"We can finish this another time," Tyler suggests, clearing his throat, eyes flashing back to the window that's now empty.

"Are you sure?"

Tyler smiles and nods. "Yeah, it's fine. I'm still a bit tired anyway."

"So, do you have any questions, concerns..anything?" Jenna asks on the walk back to the house. "I know this must be quite a transition for you."

He mulls it over for a second. Tyler would feel ungrateful to complain about his situation, especially to someone who has been extremely kind to him and has been trying to help him get comfortable with his new surroundings. "I'm okay. It's really nice here." It's not a lie, it's truly breath taking.

She pats his back. "I'm really happy to hear that. I'm always here though if you need anything, if you need a friend or just to talk."

Tyler smiles at her. "I appreciate that." He watches her open the pool room door for him. "What do you do here if you don't mind me asking?" He immediately feels rude and internally winces.

"A little bit of everything I guess. Officially, I'm Josh's personal assistant. His other assistant, Mark, handles most of the business related things. He doesn't really need me to do much; I suspect he mostly just keeps me around for the company more than anything," she says the last part with a sad smile. When they get back into the kitchen, Jenna looks down at her watch. "Lunch is in three hours so you are free to pretty much do anything you want until then. If you need me, like I said last night, I can be reached, line two, on any intercom in the house."

Tyler feels lost the second she leaves the room, standing with one leg crossed over the other as he plays with the hem of the hoodie and looks around. He must look as helpless as he feels because the next thing he knows, the chef is speaking to him. "Do you need anything?"

He doesn't want to be a bother so he quickly mumbles, "No thank you" and leaves out, heading back to his bedroom. When he reaches the bottom of the stairs, he hears voices at the top. Tyler was going to turn around and walk the other way, not wanting to intrude. Curiousity gets the best of him though when he hears his name said.

"You're being very rude, Josh. How do you think it makes him feel that you won't even say hello to him. He's young and scared. The last thing he needs is to feel not wanted here."

Tyler hears a long sigh before another person starts speaking. "Jen, it's not only wrong but it's also humiliating. My parents bought me a person. Let that sink in for a moment; you know how I feel about this."

"And like I told you, you didn't see what the facility he came from looked like. It was like a prison. He's going to have a better life here. You have to look at it in a positive way."

Josh huffs. "Yeah, some great life."

"He's seems very sweet and understanding. I think you need to give him a chance, that way he has a chance to get to know you too and can see that you aren't someone he has to be scared of."

"To him I will only ever be the alpha that wants to mate with him. That's it."

"Well, you can at least try. He is your omega, after all." Tyler's stomach clenches at the words. Jenna's voice grows a little louder, a little closer. Tyler panics. Not wanting to get caught eavesdropping, he briskly walks back through the kitchen and down the corridor to the pool room.

Seems like the quietest place at the moment.

Before sitting on the side of the pool, he grabs a towel and slips his socks and shoes off, rolling his pants up some as well. The stone tile is cold underneath him but the water is just right as he dips his feet in. He can't help but start thinking about what Jenna said, that he's Josh's. The finality of the way it sounds is a little scary to him.

He doesn't know how to be anyone's anything.

The idea to just leave is at the forefront of his mind. It doesn't seem like anyone is exactly locking him up and watching his every move. It would be easy. He knows though that everything else would be the hard part. Not having any money or anywhere to go, would be miserable; being an omega who isn't bonded and out on their own, would be completely dangerous. Best case scenario, he ends up back at a sanctuary, close to his heat.

Worst case scenario, he doesn't even want to think about.

Tyler's head snaps up at the door opening,  pulling him out of his thoughts. A guy walks in and locks eyes with him, looking as shocked as he is. He recognizes the voice as Josh when he talks. "Sorry, I'll just.."

"No, I will...I'll go." Tyler goes to stand up and Josh shakes his head.

"It's fine, you don't have to." Josh walks over to the cabinet with the towels and pulls his shirt off, folding and putting it onto one of the shelves.

Tyler keeps his head turned a little, trying not to stare. He hears a loud splash on the opposite end of the pool and watches a body glide under water, almost effortlessly, from one end to the other. Josh pops up near where Tyler is sitting, wiping the water off of his face with one hand, the other gripping the side.

This time, Tyler does stare, swallowing thickly. Omegas and betas aren't quite built the same as alphas. Definitely not the same amount of muscle...Tyler's mind blanks and he doesn't even notice Josh looking back at him, with an eyebrow raised, before diving back under. Tyler takes the moment to stand up and rushes to dry his legs off, trying to leave out before Josh comes back up for air.

Another awkward encounter doesn't sound too fun.

When he feels the stairs under his bare feet, he remembers that he left his shoes. Tyler hopes Josh is still swimming and he can just slip in and out. That does not exactly happen that way when he opens the door again, careful not to make a sound, and seeing the last thing he expected to see... Josh's face buried in his towel that left by the side of the pool. He let's out a surprised squeak and turns around quickly, not bothering to look back at Josh as he bolts through the door.

It doesn't shock Tyler when Josh isn't at lunch or dinner.

••

Tyler stays in his room the rest of the day, except for meals. He feels terrible about what happened and doesn't want Josh to have to hide in his own home. He changes into pajamas and leaves his room, wanting to get some water before bed. There's an orange light, lighting up the staircase as he approaches it; he looks down and sees the light coming from the fireplace in the living room.

Josh is sitting on one of the couches, leaning back, book in hand.

He doesn't know what he's thinking when he walks down the stairs and turns to the living room instead of the kitchen. Josh seems to have a magnetic pull on him in a weird way. Maybe it's just Tyler's need to clear the air, to make Josh feel like he understands how awkward the whole arrangement is and he doesn't think he's a bad person.

He's kind of a pawn in this, just like him.

Josh visibly startles as Tyler starts talking. "My mom always used to tell me that I smell like violets," He says, gently, walking towards a chair situated to the side of the couch and sitting down. "I don't remember how they smell to give an accurate comparison though." He cringes as he puts his feet on the chair, bringing his knees to his chest and resting his chin on them.

Maybe not the best thing to open with.

To his surprise though, Josh snorts. "I wasn't trying to... smell you... I... I was trying to figure out if that was you by my door last night. I promise I wasn't trying to be..you know, creepy." 

"Oh." Tyler smiles, shyly. "I don't think you are creepy.. Jenna already explained the situation to me; I know this wasn't your idea and I just want you to know that I don't think badly of you.." Josh finally looks up from his book. "And Jenna was right earlier, the place I came from wasn't that great.."

"You like to sneak around, I see."

Tyler picks at the bottom of his pajama pants, eyes casted downward. "I wasn't meaning to, sorry."

The room falls silent, except for the crackling sounds coming from the fireplace, air still heavy with tension. Eventually the sound and warmth lull him, eyes getting heavier and heavier until they close completely.

••

It's a little jarring when he wakes up, at some point, in a dark room. His eyes adjust after a second and he notices he's now in his bedroom. He's confused. The last thing he remembers is falling asleep downstairs in the chair.

The mystery of how he managed to end up in his own bed afterwards doesn't stay one when he realizes he smells a little bit like cinnamon.

Like Josh.

Tyler scrunches up his face, trying to refrain from smiling. Josh must have carried him to bed. He pulls the collar of his shirt over his nose and breathes in the scent as he falls back asleep quickly.


	3. Chapter 3

To his surprise, Josh is at breakfast the next morning. Although, with the awkward silence and not a single word spoken to each other, he might as well not be there. About halfway through, Jenna looks between them at the table before leaning over towards Josh and whispering, "I thought we talked about this yesterday; you're still gonna be like this with him?"

Josh glances up from his plate and looks at him quickly and then to Jenna. "I'm not doing anything wrong," he mumbles. "I'm here aren't I?"

"Tyler," Jenna says suddenly and loud enough to cause them both to jump a little. "Why don't you go with Josh on his run this morning. It's not too cold out and I'm sure he wouldn't mind the company."

"Oh, I'm not sure.." Tyler starts to say as he lowers the toast back onto his plate.

"See, he doesn't even want.." the words die on his tongue as Jenna kicks his leg under the table. He glares at her and mumbles something before looking straight at him, smile forced. "It would be wonderful if you joined me."

Jenna gives him a reassuring smile before he looks over at Josh. "Okay, sure." He doesn't really want to go; being somewhere he isn't wanted doesn't exactly sound too pleasant. Jenna is really trying though, so he doesn't want to disappoint her.

After they finish eating, Tyler gets up to go back to his room to change. Jenna is behind him on the staircase and lightly grabs his arm to pull him closer when they get to the top. His breath quickens a little as she leans into him and sniffs at the top of his sweater. "Why do you smell like Josh?" The tone isn't accusing, but worried. "I know he wouldn't do anything to..."

Tyler flushes as he pulls the sweater a little higher over his neck. She's smelling the shirt he slept in last night. He doesn't even want to admit it to himself but he kept it on under his regular clothes. "No, no..he didn't," he squeaks out. "I um, well Josh carried me to bed last night after I fell asleep downstairs."

A gentle smile spreads across her lips. "And you kept the clothes on because they smell like him?"

"Yeah, it's stupid; I don't even know why I did it, honestly."

"It's not stupid. Your heat isn't but a few weeks away. It's normal for you to want an alpha's scent close." His face must be turning as red as the sweater because Jenna's amused expression softens and she rubs his back. "Hey, don't be embarrassed; it's completely fine. It's not like I'm going to tell him." She gives him one last smile before walking away.

Tyler strips off the sweater and shirt underneath it the second he gets into his bedroom, wanting to get rid of the reminder that he is essentially helpless against his instincts. He sighs and walks to his closet, not even sure if there will be something for him to run in. Being in there is a little bit of a sensory overload and he's still trying to learn where everything is. He eventually finds a few pairs of athletic tights folded on a shelf and just grabs the jacket that he wore yesterday.

As soon as he's dressed, he's walking into the hallway, eyes on the floor as he makes his way to the stairs. He doesn't even notice Josh walking in the hall as well and suddenly feels himself bump into something. He wants to panic a little when he looks up and sees who it is.

Before he can apologize Josh is talking. "Sorry, I was looking at my phone and didn't see you. Are you okay?"

The genuine concern on his face makes Tyler feel a little better. He was afraid he would be upset at him. "I'm okay, thanks. I wasn't looking either, sorry too."

"No, it's not a," he starts to say as he looks Tyler over before his eyes land on his feet. "Are those the shoes you're running in?"

Tyler looks down at his feet too as he shrugs. "They're comfortable." Josh smiles as he puts his phone in his jacket pocket. It's the first real smile Tyler has seen from him and he can't ignore how it's making his stomach feel. "No good?"

"Vans maybe aren't the best choice of running shoes, no." He starts walking back towards Tyler's bedroom door. "Do you mind if I go into your room and help you pick the best ones?"

"Yes, that's fine," he says as he moves to follow him. The fact that Josh asked permission shocks him a little. Privacy and boundaries were never things that mattered much where he was before, so he's definitely not expecting it there.

"Okay," Josh says after he flips the light switch on in the closet and starts walking straight back to the shelves the shoes are on. He squats down to reach the lowest shelf; his tongue clicks as he scans the row. "These are good." He grabs a green pair and motions for Tyler to sit down on the ottoman. Josh sits down in front of him. "It's important to lace and tie these a certain way."

He can't help but feel a little nervous as Josh holds one of his feet and brings it into this lap. He quietly watches him pull the shoe off and replace it with the new one, making quick work with the laces as well. He's thankful for Josh moving fast; it's a bit awkward.

Once done Josh puts his feet down and stands up. "They're a little tight," Tyler says after he stands up too.

"They're supposed to be." Josh walks over to where the outerwear is hanging up and pushes hangers over until he's grabbing a lighter jacket and handing it to him. "Here, you're gonna get too hot in the one you have on."

"Oh." Tyler unzips the one he has on before taking it off and handing it to Josh, exchanging for the other one. "Physical activities aren't exactly my thing, so don't have much knowledge about how to dress for them."

"Never would have guessed." The playful quip makes Tyler smile briefly until Josh finishes hanging up the jacket and is turning back to him. "Ready?" He nods and follows him back downstairs and out of the front door.

Ten minutes later, it's just the sounds of feet hitting concrete and Tyler's heavy breaths as they run on the long paved path leading to the gate; he sees it in the distance and instantly feels his heart rate shoot up a little more. As he notices how far the black iron stretches, he feels like he just went from one cage to another.

This just happens to be a nicer one.

Once they reach the gate, Tyler stops and bends over, hands on his knees as he catches his breath. "Sorry, I need to rest a second." Josh just presses something on his watch while he runs in place. Tyler feels a little bad to be holding him up. "You can go ahead and start back; I'll try to catch up."

Josh glances at the gate and then shakes his head. "I'm not leaving you here by yourself."

Tyler steadies his rapid breaths as he stands up straight and puts his hands on his hips. "You don't have to worry about me leaving out; I'm not that stupid."

"It's not someone leaving out that I'm worried about." As soon as the words leave his mouth, Josh clears his throat and looks his way. "Come on, don't want to cool down too much."

The smile wanting to show itself almost instantly disappears once he starts the quick pace back next to Josh. He already has pain under his ribs again, lungs feeling like they want to explode. "How long is this exactly?"

"About a mile from the house and back. I usually run this a few times."

As hard as he tries to do more, back to the house is all Tyler can manage. Josh would have ended up just having to carry him again. He walks through the door panting as he makes his way to the kitchen. The chef is still in there cleaning up from breakfast, so he quickly walks around her and grabs a bottle of water from the refrigerator before heading back to his room to change again.

As he approaches it, he notices his bedroom door is open. Before he can get any closer, Jenna is coming out with a laundry basket of dirty clothes in her hands. "Oh hey, you're back already?"

He lowers the bottle from his mouth and puts the cap back on. "Yeah, I can't really keep up."  
   
She closes his door and turns back to him. "So, what are your plans today?"

He starts following her down the hallway towards Josh's room. "I have no idea." Tyler stays at the door as Jenna goes into the bedroom. "Honestly don't really know what to do with myself. Kind of used to a little bit of a schedule."  He looks around after Jenna walks into the closet. There isn't much to it; he's a little disappointed when it looks just as cold as the rest of the house. It feels like it's almost impossible to find out anything about Josh without asking Jenna.

He feels a little weird doing that though.

"What did you use to do all day at the sanctuary?" Jenna asks as she walks back out.

He moves out of the way as she shuts off the light and closes the door back. "Not too much. We usually were woken up for breakfast and went to the cafeteria. I had classes after that until lunch and then we were free for the rest of the day until dinner and showers. The living area was always kind of crowded so I just mainly stayed in my room with my roommate, Sydney. We were friends, so it wasn't too bad."

"Do you miss her?"

He looks down at the water bottle in his hands as he is peeling back the paper. "Yeah, I do but honestly after losing so many people, I've learned it's better to not become attached to anyone."

Jenna gives him a look of pity before starting back down the hallway. "I'm sorry, that had to a be hard thing to go through."

Tyler just shrugs as he stops in front of his door. "Numb to it at this point I guess." That's not the complete truth but the memories aren't ones he feels like dredging up at the moment, so he's opening his door before she can say anything else. "I'm gonna change. I'll see you later."

She says bye to him as the door closes behind him. He feels a little bad for being rude, especially when he sees what she left on his bed, the shirt that smells like Josh. It's being picked up and brought to his face before he even realizes it. "Stupid hormones," he mutters as he tosses it back onto the bed.

••

A hour later, he's aimlessly walking around the house. He still feels like an unwanted stranger, so it's hard for him to be comfortable enough to do much. Fear of messing up somehow, is making it worse. If he's being honest with himself, he's kind of waiting for the other shoe to drop; so far, everything is too perfect. Nothing in his life has ever worked out.

That suddenly happening, doesn't seem too likely.

He finds himself walking down the hallway where the game room and home theater are. Seems to be the only place no one ever is. Tyler isn't so sure of that anymore though when he opens the door and sees something already on the screen. Josh looks over at him from the chair he's in before picking up the remote and pausing the movie.

"I didn't know anyone was in here, sorry." He doesn't turn around and leave. Josh isn't exactly asking him too either and doesn't look annoyed by the intrusion. In a move that even shocks himself, Tyler starts walking a little closer to the chair on the end. "What are you watching?"

Josh shrugs as he grabs a fistful of popcorn from the bowl in his lap. "Just whatever Jenna left in the Blu-ray player.  Fifty first dates or something." The bowl gets moved off of his lap and he points it towards Tyler before placing it on the seat next to him. "It just started."

"I've never seen it." Tyler takes the gesture as an invitation to come closer and sits in the chair next to the bowl just as the movie is being resumed. Just the smell of the popcorn has him looking over from the screen, quickly; he hasn't had it since he was really young. Along with that and the taste, as a few pieces touch his tongue, is enough to bring him back to sitting on the couch with his brother and doing the same thing. Before he can stop himself, his eyes start to pool with tears. 

A sudden high pitched laugh startles him enough to redirect his thoughts back to Josh briefly and then his eyes to the screen again.

"These recline," is said beside him and he barely registers the words as a body hovers over the empty chair and is suddenly in his space. An arm ghosts over his lap and Tyler's eyes widen when Josh's face ends up next to his. "The button is right here," he says, voice low as he presses it and Tyler is reclining back. "Better?"

Tyler nods, eyes still wide and heart beating a little fast.

A little longer into the movie and he ends up on the carpeted floor in front of them, laying on his stomach and looking up at the screen; he turns his head to Josh when the movie suddenly pauses.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah," Tyler says as he turns over onto his back and props himself up on his elbows.

Josh doesn't look at him; he's shuffling the remote back and forth between his hands. "Be honest, are you scared of me?"

"No," passes his lips without hesitation. Even though the situation justifiably scares him a little, Josh isn't really part of that fear.

Eyes finally make their way to his and a weak half smile is given. "It's just you look frightened every time I'm near you." Tyler wants to tell him it's not for that reason but he'd have to fully know why it happens himself to do that. "I don't blame you if you are. I took you from your home.."

"That wasn't my home." It's one thing he can say with certainty; he hasn't had a home in ten years.

"You still didn't ask for any of this."

"Neither did you."

Josh seems to relax at the words and his hands finally stop moving. "I still can't help but feel bad."

Tyler shifts on his elbows, adjusting himself to sit up a little more. "Don't... I'm just an omega. It's the way the world is now."

"But you're not only just an omega and even if this is what is considered normal now, it will never be okay." Josh sits up and leans forward, resting his elbows on his thighs. "Why do you just accept everything so easily without any fight."

He huffs out a breath. "I didn't just give in to it or give up. I'm just realistic about my place in life and exactly what I am. For every one of you, there's thousands that think of me as nothing but a means to a cure or a way to briefly continue the bloodlines; what's really right or wrong, doesn't seem to stand a chance anymore." There's truth in it and Josh knows it; he can tell by the way he doesn't argue it. "Just have to do the best with what we're given."

"Are you sure you're only seventeen? Kind of a wise way to look at things."

"I had to grow up fast, I guess." Tyler shrugs. "I'll be eighteen in less than a month, so can't say I'm exactly a kid anymore either." It seems at the mention of his birthday, they both clam up; thoughts of his heat some time after that, the obvious cause. It's the clear elephant in the room; after all, it's the only reason for this becoming his new home.

Josh's bottom lip is pulled under his teeth as he stares at him. "I don't know if I should say this or not. It seems like it goes without saying here, or at least I hope it would. You know I'm not going to force you to do...um, no matter why you're here, that and my intentions are not the same."

It's not quite the way Tyler thought the conversation was going to go and doesn't really know how to respond. Jenna seems to vouch for Josh and he likes her; she hasn't given him a reason not to trust her. Really, Josh hasn't either. "I know."

In that moment there's an understanding between them, so the tension melts a little. There's no clock on anything now; expectations no longer feel so urgent. Josh sits back against his seat and gives him one last glance before pressing play again.

Tyler doesn't linger in that position much longer and turns back onto his stomach, chin resting on top of his crossed arms. A familiar feeling washes over him that he had just yesterday, outside by the pond with Jenna. He can't resist turning his head as subtly as possible and glancing back. Josh's eyes are off of him and to the screen the second they lock gazes.

He turns his head back around and buries it in the crease of his arm, trying to hide the smile and blush that has taken over his face.

••

"I mean, can you imagine not knowing you had a baby the first time at night that you're woken up from their cries." Tyler shakes his head. "That would be the most confusing way to be woken up."

Josh finishes chewing the food in his mouth before smiling. "I'm sure they had a system."

This time at the table, Jenna is looking between them with an eyebrow raised and confused smile. It's a far cry from the scene at breakfast that morning as they both continue to go back and forth about the movie, exchanging laughs and smiles.

For the first time in the past few days, Tyler finally feels somewhat relaxed. He can breathe a little.


End file.
